88 Days to Kandahar: A CIA Diary by Robert L. Grenier
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was an interesting enough read overall, though it had some of that "can't-give-you-all-details" feel to it. Well, what do you expect from the "confessions" of a real spy master? I gave it a 3-1/2 stars in my reading log. This was another library e-book. What I was most interested/intrigued by was the info Grenier sheds on the US/CIA/military's relationships with Pakistan's so-called intelligence agency, the ISI. I have a better view of them after this reading and, no doubt, they played a big part in helping the US capture number of al Qaeda operatives (many lower level ones). But, I think Grenier was just a tad too positive on them, given his official political position and intelligence agency partner relationship. So much of what they do/represent is two-faced, give-here-while-taking-there, backdoor, duplicitous operations that involve outright treachery & bald-face lies. While taking billions of US dollars with one hand, they have trained, armed, planned, and supported terrorists & terrorist operations with the other hand. Of course, in this part of the world, you have to work with what you've got...

I think Grenier's concluded chapters are very insightful and spot on with regard to what the US/coalition has done over the years since 2001--and his comments on Obama's "clear" disengagement timeline and the results to be expected have proven true. But, the new great game isn't over yet--and things continue to develop even now in 2017 that give pause for hope for a better & more stable Afghanistan. May it be so.


View all my reviews